stuck in the friend zone?” He tried to make a joke of it.
“Afraid so. And because you are, that means you do not get to pass Go, you do not get to collect two hundred dollars, and you definitely do not get to second base.”
“Cally—I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to come on so strong.”
“Well, you did ,” Cally said, pointing to the door. “Please leave now.”
The speakeasy was in the subbasement of a trendy, upscale boutique hotel on Sixty-second that catered to Japanese executives visiting the heart of the City That Never Sleeps. With its dim lighting, dark wood paneling, and maroon velvet draperies, it looked like any other cocktail joint in the city, except there was no mirror behind the bar and no liquor to be seen.
“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked, barely bothering to look up from the glass he was cleaning.
“B neg and scotch.”
“You sure you’re old enough, kid?”
“My friend Andrew here can vouch for me,” Jules replied, pushing a crisp twenty across the counter.
“Well, if Andy says you’re cool, that’s fine by me,” the bartender said as he palmed the bill. He poured the drink into the glass he’d been cleaning and handed it to Jules.
As he slid into one of the horseshoe booths, Jules tried to figure out where he’d gone wrong. He had smiled, used eye contact, and said all the things girls seemed to want to hear and done it in as nonthreatening a manner as possible. He’d even told her that she was special, and for once it wasn’t actually a lie.
So how did he end up sitting by himself at a vampires-only bar instead of rolling between the sheets with Cally Monture? The only other time he’d struck out this badly was with Melinda Mauvais. What went wrong?
He was pretty sure the thing about her ex-boyfriend was just an excuse. If she’d been that into someone else, she wouldn’t have been so willing to dance with him at the Viral Room. Maybe Cally’s lack of interest had to do with what she’d heard at school. What if Lilith was telling everyone he had weak blood? He certainly wouldn’t put it past her, the vindictive little minx.
“My, my, my! If it ain’t Little Lord Fauntleroy!”
Jules looked up from his drink to see Lucky Maledetto standing in front of him. Elegantly dressed in a tailored Armani suit, Lucky wore the telltale black silk shirt and crimson Strega tie. Standing next to him was a huge block of undead muscle with fists like sledgehammers and a neck the size of a bull’s.
“Oh, hey, Lucky,” Jules said, inwardly cursing himself. He should have known better—almost every vampires-only bar in the triborough area belonged to Vinnie Maledetto.
“Mind if I sit down?” Lucky asked as he slid into the booth alongside Jules.
“I guess not….”
The man mountain slid into the other side of the booth. “I guess you won’t mind if my bodyguard Bava here joins us?” Lucky said.
“Sure.” Jules was trying hard not to look intimidated as he sipped at his drink.
“So, Jules—what brings you to my fine establishment?”
“I just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to stop by for a drink, that’s all.”
“Just in the neighborhood, huh? You wouldn’t have been visiting our mutual friend, Miss Monture, over at the Plaza, would you?”
“So what if I was?” Jules replied, prickling under Lucky’s prodding.
“No need to get testy, Your Highness. I’m just saying, okay? It’s a free country, right? People are free to come and go as they like. They’re even free to disappear, if they keep coming back where they’re not welcome. That’s what’s great about this country. You get me?”
“Yeah, I got you, Lucky.”
“Good. Now get outta here. You’re too young to be in this joint, anyways.”
“I’m off,” Jules said, downing the last of his drink.
“Don’t worry about the tab.” Lucky smiled, patting Jules on the shoulder as he slid back out of the booth. “The drink’s on me. It’s the least I can
“Afraid so. And because you are, that means you do not get to pass Go, you do not get to collect two hundred dollars, and you definitely do not get to second base.”
“Cally—I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to come on so strong.”
“Well, you did ,” Cally said, pointing to the door. “Please leave now.”
The speakeasy was in the subbasement of a trendy, upscale boutique hotel on Sixty-second that catered to Japanese executives visiting the heart of the City That Never Sleeps. With its dim lighting, dark wood paneling, and maroon velvet draperies, it looked like any other cocktail joint in the city, except there was no mirror behind the bar and no liquor to be seen.
“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked, barely bothering to look up from the glass he was cleaning.
“B neg and scotch.”
“You sure you’re old enough, kid?”
“My friend Andrew here can vouch for me,” Jules replied, pushing a crisp twenty across the counter.
“Well, if Andy says you’re cool, that’s fine by me,” the bartender said as he palmed the bill. He poured the drink into the glass he’d been cleaning and handed it to Jules.
As he slid into one of the horseshoe booths, Jules tried to figure out where he’d gone wrong. He had smiled, used eye contact, and said all the things girls seemed to want to hear and done it in as nonthreatening a manner as possible. He’d even told her that she was special, and for once it wasn’t actually a lie.
So how did he end up sitting by himself at a vampires-only bar instead of rolling between the sheets with Cally Monture? The only other time he’d struck out this badly was with Melinda Mauvais. What went wrong?
He was pretty sure the thing about her ex-boyfriend was just an excuse. If she’d been that into someone else, she wouldn’t have been so willing to dance with him at the Viral Room. Maybe Cally’s lack of interest had to do with what she’d heard at school. What if Lilith was telling everyone he had weak blood? He certainly wouldn’t put it past her, the vindictive little minx.
“My, my, my! If it ain’t Little Lord Fauntleroy!”
Jules looked up from his drink to see Lucky Maledetto standing in front of him. Elegantly dressed in a tailored Armani suit, Lucky wore the telltale black silk shirt and crimson Strega tie. Standing next to him was a huge block of undead muscle with fists like sledgehammers and a neck the size of a bull’s.
“Oh, hey, Lucky,” Jules said, inwardly cursing himself. He should have known better—almost every vampires-only bar in the triborough area belonged to Vinnie Maledetto.
“Mind if I sit down?” Lucky asked as he slid into the booth alongside Jules.
“I guess not….”
The man mountain slid into the other side of the booth. “I guess you won’t mind if my bodyguard Bava here joins us?” Lucky said.
“Sure.” Jules was trying hard not to look intimidated as he sipped at his drink.
“So, Jules—what brings you to my fine establishment?”
“I just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to stop by for a drink, that’s all.”
“Just in the neighborhood, huh? You wouldn’t have been visiting our mutual friend, Miss Monture, over at the Plaza, would you?”
“So what if I was?” Jules replied, prickling under Lucky’s prodding.
“No need to get testy, Your Highness. I’m just saying, okay? It’s a free country, right? People are free to come and go as they like. They’re even free to disappear, if they keep coming back where they’re not welcome. That’s what’s great about this country. You get me?”
“Yeah, I got you, Lucky.”
“Good. Now get outta here. You’re too young to be in this joint, anyways.”
“I’m off,” Jules said, downing the last of his drink.
“Don’t worry about the tab.” Lucky smiled, patting Jules on the shoulder as he slid back out of the booth. “The drink’s on me. It’s the least I can
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